Undeniable
by Just A Mirage
Summary: Bakura returns to try to win Ryou back, but this is easier said than done when somebody else enters the picture. Sequel to Love, Undeserved.
1. Dreams

Here it is! The sequel to my fic Love, Undeserved! If you haven't read that one first, I would recommend it. I suppose it isn't _vital_, but it would definitely help. If you have read it, I hope you enjoy this one, as well! I've been super busy so I'm sorry if the writing isn't great, but I hope you still like it. Off we go!

Disclaimer- I don't own Yugioh, it's very sad I know.

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Darkness.

_Ryou was surrounded by darkness._

_Turning around, he searched for something to focus his eyes on, but all he could see was black._

_A sound in the distance. And then a speck of light._

_Ryou walked towards the light. It called to him. It grew larger as he came closer, his excitement growing. He needed to go to the light._

_Suddenly, the light was blotted out, a silhouette looming over him. Footsteps from afar grew louder as a figure cloaked in darkness stalked closer. It was in no hurry, as if it knew there was nowhere to run. Ryou skidded to a halt, tripping over his own feet as he tried to back away. Jumping up, he turned and ran. Taking a chance, he looked over his shoulder, almost tripping again when he saw the figure quickly closing the distance between them. He looked ahead again, pushing himself to run faster. A shadow, cast by whatever was behind him, grew longer, the footsteps practically right next to him._

_Something grabbed Ryou's ankle, making him fall. Covering his head, he waited for...whatever it was that was chasing him to make its move. After a second of nothing happening, he looked up, cringing away from the shadow above him. He didn't understand why it didn't attack, when he was completely vulnerable. It had had every opportunity to, yet it just hung over him, almost like it was waiting for something._

_And then the area was bathed in light, making Ryou squint. The shadow creature above him hissed as it shrunk back slightly, another creature coming into view that was the source of the light. This creature circled around Ryou and the shadow, not coming any closer but not back off. The shadow seemed weary, keeping a good distance from the light. After awhile, though, it seemed sure that the light would stay away, and turned towards Ryou again._

_Ryou whimpered as the shadow circled him, followed closely by the light. He didn't know if the light had come to save him or if they both wanted him but didn't like the competition. Feeling increasingly like an injured deer being stalked by tigers, he tried to back away, but the shadow growled, immediately stopping him. Taking one last look at the light, the shadow turned, lunging at him._

_Ryou screamed, hiding his face, expecting to feel pain any second. When none came, he looked up to see the shadow once again over him, not moving. A flash of light and it was gone. Ryou looked around, spotting the light and shadow locked in a fierce battle. They moved so fast it was hard to tell what was going on, but eventually the shadow was thrown to the side, significantly smaller than it had previously been._

_Ryou stood up, almost blinded by the overwhelming light coming from the creature that was now heading towards him. He felt a sense of relief now that the shadow was gone, and walked towards the light, certain that he would be safe._

_As he drew closer, a smile appeared on the light, making Ryou happy. A sound drew his gaze over to where the shadow lay as it struggled to stand up. A twinge of pity ran through him, making his steps falter. Looking back, he stopped walking all together, as the light's smile broadened, revealing rows of sharp teeth. It was calling to him again, but now Ryou was frightened. Turning back to where the shadow had been, he gasped when he saw it was gone. The light continued to call him, pulling his attention back. The smile was closed-lipped again, and Ryou fell into a calm state, gravitating towards the light. Yes, that was where he needed to go..._

_And then the scene changes. Ryou is looking at Bakura from across their bedroom and he is mad. He advances a few steps, making Ryou shrink back but he is against a wall._

_The scene changes again. Bakura is on top of him, and he is in intense pain._

_Now Bakura is on a bridge, and Ryou is trying desperately to talk him down. Shaking his head, Bakura takes a step and disappears._

_They are in a hospital. Bakura is on the bed, machines and tubes all around him. A doctor is standing by, watching the monitor. The heart line gets steadily faster before dropping to one long tone. Ryou looks at the doctor, who shakes his head sadly._

_A crowd of people stand around a hole in the ground, Ryou is at the front. He stares at the wooden box being lowered in, knowing what it holds inside. As it is placed at the bottom, he takes the single rose he holds and tosses it in, watching it land on top of the casket. He slowly turns, pulling his gaze away from the grave, and walks away._

_Ryou stands on a chair, holding a rope that is tied to the ceiling. He cannot continue living like this, he is drowning in his sorrow. He makes sure the knot will hold before slipping it around his neck. He feels no regret for what he is about to do as he tips the chair forward on two legs. The chair slips out from under his feet and he drops..._

"Ahh!" Ryou yelled, sitting up. His heart was racing and he was breathing hard as he tried to get his bearings. Calming down, he remembered where he was, and looked over to the other side of the bed. The figure under the blankets did not stir, still breathing deeply in sleep. Quietly, Ryou got out of bed and opened the door, slipping out of the room.

Closing the door behind him, he turned to face the tiny living area of the appartment. It was barely big enough for the couch, and the kitchen was so close you could practically make yourself a sandwich while sitting down watching TV. It was barely big enough for one person let alone two, but they had managed for almost a year now.

Ryou opened a cabinet and grabbed a cup, filling it with water, He had gotten nightmares a lot when he had still been living with Yugi and Yami, but they had stopped shortly after the night he had finally left. What a disastrous arrangement that had been...

*Flashback*

Carrying his suitcase, Ryou quietly tiptoed down the stairs, hoping everyone was already asleep. He didn't know where he was going to go, but he knew he had to leave. He was almost at the front door when he heard a sound.

"Ryou?" Yami got up from where he had been sitting on the couch, coming towards him. His eyes widened when he spotted the suitcase. "Where are you going?"

"I'm leaving, Yami. I have to."

"Why?"

"I... Yugi loves you, Yami. It breaks him watching your constant advances on me. He asked me to leave."

Yami was suddenly very close to Ryou, backing him up against a wall. He placed both hands on either side of his head, leaning down. "I'll talk to him in the morning... Why don't you go put your things back, hm?" he whispered, placing a kiss on Ryou's neck.

"No!" Ryou pushed him away, rubbing where he had made contact. "I agree with Yugi, I should leave. I'm not going to keep hurting him by staying here, since you obviously don't get the picture!" he turned, opening the front door.

"You're going to have to get over Bakura eventually!" Yami yelled, making Ryou turn around again.

"What the hell! That has nothing to do with this, Yami! I _am_ over him!"

"That's not what it sounded like last night when you were talking in your sleep."

Ryou's face went red. "Well I certainly wouldn't come crawling to you if I was! Why don't you look at what's right in front of you for once?" he yelled back, stepping out the door and slamming it behind him.

*End flashback*

Ryou shuddered at the memory, sipping his water. That had been the most awkward couple of months of his life, living with them. It had been extremely uncomfortable around Yami after that, but luckily it had gotten better after Yami _finally_ asked Yugi out. Still, it was not a pleasant memory.

"Ryou? What are you doing up?"

Ryou turned to see a white haired boy walking out of the bedroom, still half asleep. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you."

"Don't be silly. Why are you up?"

Ryou dumped the rest of the water and returned the cup to the cabinet. "I had that nightmare again."

"You mean the one you used to have?"

"Yeah."

"Hasn't it been almost a year since you last had it though?"

"I know, it's weird... except it was different this time. The beginning, at least. I was being chased by some sort of... shadow creature. And then this being of light came and attacked it. And then the old nightmare started."

"That's interesting... maybe the two creatures represented something?"

"I don't know, I just want to go to bed right now..."

"Ok." The boy walked over and placed an arm around Ryou's shoulder, leading him back to the bedroom. Together they crawled into bed, leaving a few inches between each other.

"Goodnight, Ryou."

"Goodnight, Diem."

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Bakura is standing in a bedroom. He recognizes it as his old bedroom back in Domino. A whimper is heard and he spots Ryou across the room, looking scared. He takes a step forward, but Ryou shrinks back into the wall. He is suddenly angry, not understanding why, but feels he must act on this anger. He approaches Ryou.

_Now he is on top of him. As he moves, he looks at his light's face, twisted in pain. Ryou opens his eyes, looking up in Bakura's, a tear escapes._

_Bakura walks into the kitchen, noticing a stream of blood on the floor. He follows it to Ryou's body, lying in a puddle of his own blood. He sees a knife next to him and takes his arm, examining the vertical cut that runs its length. He stands up, pulling out his cell phone._

_Paramedics swarm the kitchen, all examining the body. Slowly, they leave one by one, until there is only one left. He stands up, turning to Bakura and shakes his head. Bakura pleads for him to do something, but he walks out of the room. Turning back, Bakura falls to his knees, cradling Ryou's head in his lap._

_A line of people walks slowly past the open casket, taking one last look at the sweet boy who lies inside. Bakura looks down at the peaceful face that use to be so full of joy... knowing it is because of him that he is gone. He can't look any longer, turning away._

_Bakura stands in the shower, a gun in his hand. Hatred for himself floods his mind as he places the barrel in his mouth. He does not deserve to live. Looking straight ahead, he pulls the trigger..._

Bakura jolted awake, his eyes immediately adjusting to the darkness. Looking around, he remembered where he was, and tried to get his heart rate back to normal. Throwing the blankets off, he stood up and walked over to the desk on the other side of the room. He sat down, picking up a scrap of paper.

Reading the words for the millionth time, he ran his finger over the pencil lines. Only four words, but they were the reason he had been in this city for almost a year and a half now, they were what kept him from giving up. Looking away, he stared at the picture tacked to the wall. It was of him and Ryou at the beach, Ryou was hanging around his neck with two fingers up in a peace sigh while he scowled at having the picture taken. It was the only picture he had of the two of them and it reminded him of why he was here, why he was doing what he was doing.

Sighing, he sat back in his chair. He hadn't had that nightmare for months now, but it had returned tonight. '_It's_ _probably just because I'm going back tomorrow..._' he thought, nodding to himself. He was definitely nervous, not knowing what to expect, but he had done what he had come to do and was ready to go back. He would deal with what happened when he got there when he got there.

Getting back into bed, he closed his eyes, the picture of him and Ryou still in his mind. He was ready. Tomorrow, he was going home.

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Sooo there's the first chapter! Unfortunetly, I haven't written the other chapters yet so I have no idea when chapter two will be up, but I promise I'll try to get lots of writing done in math! I'd love to know what you thought of the chapter so send me a review and I'll love you forever!


	2. Homecoming

ZOMG chapter two! finally! I'm so sorry it took me awhile to update, I've just been so swamped with school, I only got to write a few paragraphs at a time. Luckily, I'm going to have tons of time to write tomorrow, so with any luck, chapter three will be up in a few days! On to the chapter!

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Beep beep beep Crunch

Bakura smashed his alarm clock, not ready to wake up yet. He had barely gotten any sleep the night before and was desperate for a few more minutes. He buried his head under the pillow, blocking out the light that was pouring in the window. Just as he started to drift off again...

_Beep beep beep_

Groaning, he sat up and glared at the alarm clock sitting across the room. Setting two alarms to make sure he woke up seemed like a good idea... at least when he wasn't actually being woken up. Sighing, he sank back into his pillows, trying to block out the noise.

'_Why did I want to wake up so early today anyway... I know there was a reason... Let's see, I finished anger management last week, and I haven't gone to one-on-one therapy is forever, group therapy is today but I'm not going... wait, why was that again? I'm skipping because... of course! I'm going back to Domino today!'_

Suddenly, he wasn't so tired, jumping out of bed. After getting dressed, he picked up an empty box from the pile in the corner. Except for a few things, he had never unpacked the entire time he was here, not wanting to become attached. Shoving random articles of clothing in the box, he closed the top, taking another one over to the desk. In this one, he placed several books he had read, along with Ryou's note and the picture. Picking up a journal he had been keeping, he flipped through the pages, looking over what he had written. In the beginning, it had been very dark, with lots of talk of murder and suicide, complete with very detailed drawings in the margins. But as it went on, it became lighter. He hadn't started drawing rainbows or flowers or anything, but it started focusing less on who he wanted to kill and why, and more on how he could make himself a better person. And he liked the person he had become. He saw himself now as someone who deserved to live in this world, although his opinion on if some others deserved this too had not changed. But the biggest question he had was did he deserve Ryou's love now? Could he know that Ryou loved him and not feel guilty? That was yet to be seen, but would hopefully be answered soon.

Placing the journal in the box, he closed it up and picked up a few more boxes before carrying them to the car. A few trips later, he was standing in the empty appartment. It didn't look much different than it had before, and Bakura was not sad at all to be leaving. Placing the key on the table, he did one last sweep of the place before gladly walking out the door for the last time.

Getting into his car, he didn't look back as he turned onto the streets that had once seemed so foreign to him. That had been exactly why he had picked this city; it didn't feel like home, and he hadn't wanted to get attached to it either. And it had worked. Although he could now navigate the city with no problem, he still didn't feel like he fit in. It would not be hard to leave.

As he came to the red light, Bakura looked to the left at the building he had come to every Monday since he got here for group therapy. He actually didn't mind going since he wasn't required to share and he felt a little better after listening to how crappy other people's lives were as well. The parking lot was just starting to fill up and someone was hanging a banner over the doors that read '_Welcome Dr. Thompson!_'. Looking back ahead, Bakura had the thought of turning into the parking lot and attending one last time. After all, the meetings usually only lasted about an hour, he wouldn't be losing that much time. The light turned green and he pressed the gas, willing himself to turn the wheel. Before he knew it, he sailed through the intersection, continuing on straight ahead. Sighing, he sat back in his seat. It was probably just as well. He needed to get going.

Pulling up to another red light, he glanced into his rearview mirror. He really needed to keep driving. It was almost two hours to Domino, but...

"God damn it..." he growled, turning the wheel all the way to the left. Making a U-turn, he sped back the way he had just come.

Turning into a parking spot, he got out and walked towards the oh-so-familiar building. He felt calmer as he walked in, surrounded by the usual smell of old wood and cigars that always hung around inside. In the main room, the chairs were arranged in rows all facing the front instead of in their usual circles. Taking a seat in the back, Bakura looked around at the others. He recognized a few, but for the most part, he didn't connect names or stories with faces. They were just a bunch of sad sacks like him, here to get confirmation that maybe their lives weren't so bad after all.

"Hello everyone," a lady holding a microphone said, quieting down the crowd, "Today we have a special guest. He's been traveling around the country for two years now, studying the fascinating subject of psychology, and has been nice enough to postpone his continuing travels to talk to us today! So please give a warm welcome to Dr. William Thompson!"

Everyone clapped as an old man with gray hair and stubbly beard walked on to the stage. From the very first words he spoke, Bakura was gone, in his own little world. He never was one for public speaking, whether it be delivering it or listening to it, and usually avoided it at all costs. Instead, he amused himself by finding patterns in the ceiling or watching the dust particles in the sunlight or coming up with gruesome deaths for those around him. After plotting his third mass murder, Bakura checked his watch. He sighed; this guy had been talking for almost thirty minutes now... but he couldn't bring himself to leave. For some reason, he felt like he needed to stay, even though he was wasting precious time... He could have been a good deal away from this city by now, but instead he stayed in his seat, not listening to the old man speak.

Finally, the man wrapped up his speech and returned the microphone to the woman, who proceeded to thank him. Suddenly, everyone started moving their chairs into circles, and Bakura found himself in one before he knew what was going on.

As they went around the circle sharing, Bakura found himself drifting again, only catching a word or two of what was being said. He couldn't help but be distracted by what was coming, where he should be headed right now.

"Bakura?"

"Hmm?" Looking up, he realized everyone in the circle was looking at him.

"Would you like to share?" the leader asked, obviously anticipating Bakura's usual answer. He was already turning to the next person.

"Yeah, I would."

"Alright, that's fine. What about you- wait, you would?"

"Yeah," Bakura smirked at how flustered the man was, but was quickly dragged back down to earth. He didn't know what had made him want to share this time, it just seemed... right. But now he actually had to share. "Erm... well I came here-"

"Start with your name."

"Oh right. Um, I'm Bakura,"

"Hi, Bakura," the group recited.

"Uhh yeah... well, I came here, to the city I mean, awhile ago, because I hurt someone very important to me... and I didn't trust myself around them anymore. I know I could have gotten help where we were but I didn't want to risk hurting them again. So I removed myself from their life and came here, and planned on staying here until I felt sure I was ready to go back. I think I've done that now, and today is my last day here. And... yeah." He finished awkwardly, not sure what else to say.

"Well, thank you for sharing, Bakura." The leader said, looking at him in a new way. This bugged him for some reason... He didn't want people thinking he wanted to be their friend or anything. That was the last thing he needed.

After a few more people, the group finished along with the others. A cake was placed out in honor of Dr. Thompson, and the crowd of people trying to get a piece was making it hard to go anywhere. Bakura decided to skip the cake, instead deciding to try to make up some of the time he had lost.

"Young man!"

Bakura turned to see the old man who had spoken today coming towards him. "Me?"

"Yes you. What is your name?"

"My... name? It's Bakura."

"Bakura! Of course, I knew I recognized you. You look exactly the same, haven't changed a bit, though of course your conscious this time."

"I'm sorry, do I know you?" Bakura asked, trying to think, but as far as he could remember, this was the first time he had been this man in his life.

Dr. Thompson let out a hearty laugh, "Why of course you wouldn't remember me, that would be Ryou. You two look so alike."

"Ry-ou?" Bakura was becoming more confused by the second.

"Well, I don't want to keep you... Good to see you again up and about!" he said, disappearing back into the crowd just as fast as he had appeared, leaving Bakura still not sure what had just happened.

After a few seconds, Bakura pulled himself back to the present, making a mental note to ask Ryou about the man later, and continued heading to the door. However bizarre that had just been, he still had somewhere to be. Walking out to his car, he was glad he came. It gave the morning a feeling of finality, like the city was wishing him farewell. He still didn't like the place, but it seemed less hostile than it once had.

Crossing the city limits, he turned onto the road that would take him back to Domino. A few miles out, the traffic started to slow and eventually came to a complete stop. Bakura grumbled, annoyed at yet another delay. Looking to his right, he realized he was next to the lake that was just outside the city. He had often come here to think and it had quickly become his favorite spot. There was just something about looking out over the water's smooth surface to the skyline of the city that made him feel a little closer to home.

_HONK!_

Bakura looked forward again to see that all the traffic in front of him was gone. Flipping off the driver behind him, he stepped on the gas and sped off.

Two hours later, he spotted the sign over the interstate informing drivers that the exit to Domino city was coming up. The next exit, he pulled off and headed towards the familiar cityscape he hadn't seen in what seemed like forever.

He was finally home. But now that he was here, where to start?

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Beep beep beep

"Nooo...." Ryou groaned, burying his head in his pillow. The alarm was shut off and he knew Diem would be back in a few minutes to wake him up. Pulling the blanket up over his head, he started to doze again.

All too soon, the blankets were pulled off. "Time to get up," said the familiar Australian accent.

Ryou sat up, blinking his eyes at the bright light. The bathroom door just outside the bedroom closed and he heard the shower start as he sleepily walked to the dresser. He pulled a shirt and jeans out at random and threw them on before heading out of the room.

As he placed his now empty cereal bowl in the sink a few minutes later, the bathroom door opened again and out walked the boy formerly (and currently) known as Diem. His straight but shaggy white hair was still wet as he combined it with his fingers absent-mindedly. "Did you sleep ok last night, Ryou?"

"Yeah, after the nightmare I was fine..."

"Do you think it could have meant something?"

"The nightmare? I don't know, like what?"

"I'm not sure it's just... weird that it would return after all this time."

"I know, but I think it's probably just a coincidence..." Ryou shrugged, picking up his backpack. Diem looked unconvinced but followed him out the door, locking it behind him.

Walking down five flights of stars, they headed through the main lobby. Ryou had always thought it was strange that the appartment building was arranged more like a hotel than an appartment... But he was just glad to have somewhere to live. And Diem had become like his best friend over the past year. He had definitely helped him through some tough times...

Getting into the car, the two boys drove to school in silence. Ryou was lost in his thoughts; he had managed to keep Bakura from his mind for most of the time he had been gone, and he had managed to somewhat move on with his life. But every once in awhile he crept back, and Ryou had to wonder what he was doing nowadays.

They arrived at school a few minutes later and headed to their first classes. Ryou pushed Bakura out of his mind and pulled out his history notes for the test today he hadn't studied for. School wasn't a big priority in his life, but he still managed to pass all of his classes. As he looked over the dates of major wars one last time, a voice came over the intercom for the morning announcements.

"Hello students!" said the annoyingly sweet voice of the student body president, Tomoma. "Welcome back to school on this glorious Wednesday! I hope you all had a wonderful four day weekend, but it's time to put on your thinking hats again! This Friday is our homecoming dance, so buy your tickets for you and your date now! In other news, as you guys know, Little Mikey was kidnapped from his home last Thursday. The investigation is ongoing and the cops said they might have a lead. His parents ask that you keep him and his family in your prayers, and I took it upon myself to create and distribute fliers around the school." Ryou looked up and sure enough, every few feet there was a piece of paper taped up to the wall with Little Mikey's smiling face on it. "A prayer session is being held tomorrow after lunch, so get your teacher's permission to come." Tomoma added before continuing on to the sports results.

Ryou sighed. It really was a bummer about Mikey. He was five foot nothing and looked like he should still be in middle school, let alone high school, but he was super outgoing and the class clown, and everybody loved him. '_Why was it him who had to get kidnapped? Why couldn't it have been one of the football jocks who are all brawn and no brain, and whose idea of funny is still the Three Stooges? Oh yeah, because nobody would be stupid enough to try to kidnap one of them. They'd get their brains beaten in.'_

The teacher called attention and the class quieted down. Before Ryou knew it, the period was over, and the next two periods went just as fast. After lunch, he and Diem had biology together. Today was lab, and the teacher announced that she would be randomly assigning lab partners. Before she could begin, another teacher poked his head in and asked to talk to her in the hall.

Ryou was about to complain that he always got stuck with idiots and did all the work in randomly assigned pairs, but Diem stood up, mumbling something about the bathroom, and stepped out of the classroom. Ryou sat back in his chair, becoming increasingly annoyed as the minutes ticked by with no return of the teacher or Diem. Finally, the door swung open and the teacher sauntered back in, looking as cheerful as ever, but slightly dazed. Picking up the class list, she began to read off names, pairing off the students. When she got to his name, Ryou help his breath.

"Let's see... Ryou and Diem."

Ryou sighed with relief. He could live with being partners with Diem. At least he wouldn't have to do all the work. As the teacher finished the list, the door opened again and Diem returned to his seat.

"We're lab partners," Ryou informed him," Isn't that lucky?"

"Yeah, lucky."

Ryou was annoyed by his lack of enthusiasm for the stroke of luck, but got up to get a microscope.

When he returned, Diem turned to him.

"So, Bakura. What was he like?"

Ryou flinched at the name. "Why do you want to know?"

"I'm just curious. You don't talk about him much, which I totally understand, seeing as what he did to you. Sorry I brought it up, I can see it's still a sore subject."

"No, I'm sorry, you just caught me off guard... What do you want to know?"

"Well, I know he could be... less than friendly at times, but what was he like when he was the person you fell in love with?"

Ryou thought for a minute. There had never really been one thing that had made him fall in love, it had just been meant to be, like it was their fate to be together. '_or use to be...'_

"Who I fell in love with was rough around the edges, but very sweet and caring if you got to know him, which was kind of hard to do with him... he wasn't a people person, at all. He was protective, but not in an overbearing way. He would always try to make it up to me if he did something wrong, even if his ideas of how to make things better were a bit overdramatic. One time, he was suppose to pick me up after a school play and he forgot, and I was left standing in the rain for almost an hour. When he did finally show up, instead of driving me home he drove me to the airport and said he was taking me to Paris because it was sunny there that time of year and it wouldn't be able to rain on me there." Ryou laughed, remembering that night so long ago. "Of course we didn't go, we couldn't just up and head to Paris... but he was always like that, overcompensating for his mistakes, like he thought one day I would just be tired of him and leave, even though that would have never happened."

"And would you say he was a man of his word?" Diem asked,

"Um, yeah. He kept, or at least tried to keep, every promise he made. He even took me to Paris over spring break that year."

"So do you think that maybe your dream returning is a sign that he's going to keep his word on coming back? Do you think he might return?"

Ryou sat in silence, a million thoughts running through his head. Finally, he turned back to the microscope, placing a slide under the lens. "Don't even joke about that. I don't think I could handle that right now... I think awhile ago he could have come back, but now maybe it would be better if he stayed where he was." In his heart, Ryou knew he didn't believe that, but he couldn't let himself hope, only to have it shattered. Not again.

Half and hour later, Ryou excused himself from the class early to head to a dentist appointment. He dreaded the dentist, but getting out of school early was a decent trade off. Heading outside, he noticed some ominous clouds in the distance, and decided to walk to his appointment so Diem wouldn't have to walk home in the rain. He would probably still get home first anyway, the appointment wouldn't take longer than half an hour.

He arrived a short walk later to the innocent looking brick building, and shuddered as he walked inside, the smell that always hung around the dentist office attacking his senses. After checking in with the receptionist, he sat down, picking up a little Seduko book. Some of his friends were into the puzzles, and had tried to teach him, but it hadn't working very well. Flipping through the book, all of the easiest puzzles were already filled in, so he turned to an empty medium puzzle. Slowly, he started filling in the numbers, erasing them every once in awhile when he caught a mistake. After filling in the last box, he double checked his answers, smiling triumphantly as he realized he had completely the puzzle correctly. Looking up at the clock, he was surprised to see that it had already been an hour since he had arrived.

"Doctor Burgess sends his apologies," the desk lady said, noticing Ryou looking at the clock. "He had to perform an emergency root canal right away."

Ryou cringed, feeling sorry for the poor soul. A few minutes later, an assistant called him in and lead him to the room used for check-ups. A sickening high-pitched whine was issuing from the next room over, and Ryou tried to block it out while the assistant cleaned his teeth, examining the posters on the ceiling.

Thankfully, the drilling stopped soon enough, and a few minutes later, Dr. Burgess walked in.

"Hello, Ryou," he said as he set up some tools. "How are you doing?"

"Better than him," he replied, pointing to the next room.

Dr. Burgess laughed. "Yes, that was unfortunate..." Maybe it was just Ryou's imagination, but he thought he saw a twinkle in the doctor's eye as he said it.

The check-up went as usual, and Ryou was relieved to hear he had no cavities. After he was done, he left as soon as possible before the dentist could tell him he needed an emergency root canal as well. Walking outside, the dark clouds were now right above him, and just as he hoped it wouldn't start raining, he felt the first raindrop.

"Aww crap..." It was a twenty minute walk home, ten if he ran. Holding his jacket over his head, he took off down the street, free toothbrush in hand.

As he ran, the rain got harder, completely soaking him in no time. Panting, he hid under an overhang to catch his breath, and was glad to see the appartment in view, not too far away. A second later, he dashed back into the rain for the final stretch.

Sighing as he made it through the door, he hung his jacket on his arm, since there was no point in wearing it anymore. Bending over he ran his hands through is hair as he walked across the lobby, trying to get some of the water out. Not paying attention, he bumped into somebody.

"Oh, sorry..." he mumbled, looking up, right into the pair of eyes he hadn't seen for a year in a half. Backing away from Bakura, his mind went blank, and he only managed to say one thing. "Oh, shit." Dropping his toothbrush, he did the first thing that came into his mind: he ran. Turning the corner down the hall, he saw someone stepping out of the elevator, and pushed past him, slamming the close door button when he got in.

"Ryou!" he heard Bakura yell from down the hall. Pressing his floor, he closed his eyes. The doors closed just as someone hit the outside, and Ryou opened his eyes again, watching the numbers light up as the elevator rose. When the doors opened again on his floor, he ran down the hall, throwing open the door to the appartment.

Dropping his jacket on the couth, he stormed into the bedroom where he found Diem on the computer. "How the hell did you know he was coming back?!" he yelled, making Diem jump.

"What? Who?"

"Bakura! I just saw him in the lobby!"

"Bakura is back? That's very interesting..." Diem pondered, his calmness annoying Ryou.

"Is that all you have to say?! How did you know he was coming back?"

"I didn't know, Ryou. It was a guess. Like you said, probably just a coincidence."

"But this is too big to just be a coincidence now..."

"What did you do when you saw him?"

Ryou flopped down on the bed. "I ran... it was stupid, but it was the only thing I could think of."

"You didn't even say hi?"

"No, I didn't say hi," Ryou said, exasperated. "What would that conversation have been like? 'Oh hi! Nice of you to finally drop back into the life that you totally fucked over! What's new with you?'"

Diem sighed. "If what you told me about him is true, he's not just going to give up. You'll have to talk to him eventually."

"I know, I just... want some time to get my thoughts together before that happens."

"I can understand that," Diem said. When Ryou didn't reply, he turned back to the computer, leaving the other boy to drown in his thoughts.

* * *

"Ryou!" Bakura yelled, running down the hallway after him. Seeing the elevator doors closing, he sprinted towards them but got there a second too late, slamming into the closed doors. Stepping back, he watched the dial move up the floors, finally stopping on five. Turning, he ran to the stairs, taking them three at a time. By the time he reached the fifth floor, he was exhausted. Panting, he looked down the hallway at the rows of doors. He had no idea which Ryou was in, and helplessly walked down the hall, looking for some kind of clue that would tell him where to go. Finding nothing, he tried reaching out in the mind link. He hadn't even tried this since he left the city for fear of being tempted into coming back too early. He was surprised by how weak the link was now; he would barely sense Ryou, but there was no way he would be able to talk to him or even locate him with it. Closing what was left of the link, he took the elevator back to the first floor. He decided to make a last attempt, and walked up to the lady sitting behind the desk.

"Excuse me," he said, trying his best to sound polite, but not succeeding very well. The lady looked up from her magazine and glared at him. "I have a friend who lives here, and I was wondering if you could tell me which appartment he's in."

"Sorry, I can't divulge the names of any of our tenants."

"But I know his name, I just need the room."

"Can't help you, sorry," she said, looking back down.

Bakura rubbed his temples in frustration. Didn't this lady know how important this was? Looking back up he sent a little shadow magic her way and tried again. "My friend Ryou lives here. What appartment is he in?"

"Let me check..." the lady said, dropping her magazine to the floor and typing something into the computer. Bakura smirked. He really didn't like using shadow magic on people. He had gotten out of the habit to avoid upsetting Ryou, but this was important. He could make up for it later.

"I'm sorry, we don't have any apartments currently rented to anyone named Ryou." The woman said.

"What? That's impossible, I know he lives here!"

"Perhaps he lives with someone else who the appartment is rented under."

Bakura stood in silence, contemplating that thought. He had never considered it. _His _hikari living with someone else? Who would he live with? Turning to leave, he released the shadow magic on the woman, leaving her dazed. Leaning down, he picked up the toothbrush Ryou had dropped and walked back out to his car. Driving back to his hotel, his mind was in twenty places at once.

'_I know I didn't know what to expect but... I wasn't expecting it to go like that. He basically ran away screaming from me. But can I blame him? I fucked up his life pretty bad, did I really expect just to walk back in and have everything be perfect again?'_

Pulling into the parking lot, he walked to his room and let himself him, flinging himself onto the bed. He sighed, trying to figure out what to do next. "I guess all I can do is try again tomorrow..."

* * *

Rolling over again, Ryou stared at the ceiling. He couldn't sleep, his mind wouldn't let him. '_Bakura is back. That's good right? That's what I've wanted. But I blew it. I'll have to face him again, I can't keep running away forever. But what do you say to someone like that? I guess I'll just wing it when I get there...'_

Getting up, he walked to the computer and sat down, Signing onto messenger, he saw Yugi was online.

AlbinoLove410:Hey

KingofGames9153: Hey Ryou! What's up?

AlbinoLove410: I saw Bakura today.

KingofGames9153: Oh, really?

AlbinoLove410:You already knew!

KingofGames9153:What?! No I didn't

AlbinoLove410:Yugi, I know you. You're way too calm, when did you find out he was back?

KingofGames9153:...today after school. He caught me before I left and asked where you were.

AlbinoLove410:So you told him where I live?!

KingofGames9153:I'm sorry! I was just so surprised to see him and he looked really urgent so it just kind of came out.

KingofGames9153:Are you ok?

AlbinoLove410:I just... thought this part of my life was over.

KingofGames9153:Do you want it to be over?

AlbinoLove410:No

AlbinoLove410:Atleast I don't think so.

KingofGames9153:Hey, I'm sorry, I have to go. Yami just got home and I promised him I would, uh, reward him if he went out and got me cookies.

AlbinoLove410:oh ok. See you tomorrow then.

KingofGames9153:Bye! ^^

Ryou sighed as Yugi logged off. '_At least _he_ knows who he's meant to be with...'_ Pulling his knees up to his chest, he didn't even try to stop the tears. His life had, once again, been completely flipped upside down.

* * *

There you have it! I wonder what will happen! I know the group therapy sounded a hell of a lot like AA, but I don't know what group therapy is really like, so you know what, that's how it is in this city! I'd love to know what you thought of the chapter so send me a review and I'll give you a cookie! A really warm chocolately cookie, mmmm....


End file.
